Back Together Again

By Kenny Holston

WASHINGTON, D.C. — There was a noticeable vibe of anticipation at the White House on Tuesday as the press and staff prepared for the return of former President Barack Obama, who hadn’t been in the residence since 2017.

White House press wranglers whisked us into the East Room, which was packed with guests who were eager to catch a glimpse of Obama and to witness President Biden sign an executive order that expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

While photographers jockeyed for position, a Secret Service agent approached me and two of my colleagues and said that we had to move — he thought we would be too close to Biden, Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris. But the area he wanted us to move to would have put us completely out of view.

We held our positions and enlisted the help of a press wrangler to plead our case. Begrudgingly, the agent let us stay. It wasn’t long before the announcement over the loudspeaker: They had arrived.

After making an initial image with all three of them, I crouched down lower, switched to my second camera with a wider lens, put it directly on the floor and took the photo above — capturing the commemorative mood in the room as a smiling Biden and Obama made their way past zealous press photographers.